Lost and Found
by Kav23
Summary: Danny's right, Steve is a danger magnet but this time, Steve took the danger meant for Danny.
1. Chapter 1

_**Author note:**_

 ** _Hello, everyone. English is not my first language, so be easy on me._** ** _Please review if you have time, all feedback are appreciated._**

 ** _Have a nice day._**

* * *

 ** _Prologue_**

 _Danny closed his eyes for a moment and prayed. He opened his eyes when he felt a squeeze on his shoulder._

 _"You got this, Danny," Lou whispered before he went to the other side and took an earphone and waited for Danny's next move._

 _On a certain distance, Tani and Junior, both standing side by side also smiled a little as they nodded to comfort Danny in the crisis situation._

 _Inhaling, gaining all the bit of energy he needed, he picked up the phone and dialed._

 _A few rings later, a man's voice came over the. "What?" the voice snapped. Danny didn't expect anything less._

 _"This is Detective Williams with Hawaii Five 0 Task Force." Danny, however, spoke slowly and calmly._

 _"What the hell do you want?" The voice on the other end grunt again._

 _"I want to know why are you doing this because if there is something that you want we can work things out. Those are innocent people in there…"_

 _The man was silent for some time and then suddenly chuckled, "What do you want me to do? Let them go?"_

 _"They didn't do anything to hurt you and you know they don't deserve any of this. Just talk to me, why are you doing this?"_

 _"Do you think I'm stupid enough to let them go? They are the one who is keeping me alive right now because if not, I bet you would have asked your sniper to take me out."_

 _"That' not true," Danny said quickly, in assuring manner. "We care, Ryan."_

 _"Wow, not even an hour and you have already figure me out, that some detective work there."_

 _"Listen, Ryan, I know…"_

 _"You know nothing!" Ryan yelled over the phone. His voice vibrated with anger and hatred. "You all never cared. Right now all you care about is your friend. You are only thinking about how to take him back home alive, aren't you?"_

 _"He is not only one I care about right now, Ryan. I care about all the people in there, including you."_

 _Ryan scoffed. "All of your mind tricks, don't think you can play it on me."_

 _"Okay, fine. Just tell me what is that you want, Ryan?"_

 _"I want you to tell me the truth."_

 _Danny looked across the table and his eyes caught Lou's. Lou nodded, giving Danny the encouragement he needed._

 _"What you want to know?" Danny asked, hoping the conversation will lead them somewhere._

 _"You said you people care …that law enforcement people care, then why did they shot him?"_

 _"Shot who, Ryan?" Danny's worried eyes glanced up and meet Lou's equally worried eyes. "Dennis?"_

 _"Yes, Dennis." Ryan's voice was tight._

 _"Listen, Ryan. I know you're angry about what happened to your son."_

 _"I lost my son! He's dead all because of you people."_

 _"Ryan, calm down. Tell me what is it that you want?"_

 _"I want someone to pay, someone to feel what I felt all these time."_

 _"Ryan…" Danny started but froze for a moment when he heard the loud gunshot sound over the phone._

 _His eyes were open but his limbs flex in shock. Fear traveled in Danny's veins and bubbled up in his chest but he refused to let it show._

 _"Ryan, did you shoot somebody? Listen, Ryan, they did nothing wrong against Dennis. Please, if you did shoot somebody, they need medical attention."_

 _"I didn't just shoot somebody, I shoot that one person that all of you care."_

 _"Y-you mean… y-you shot…" Words stuck in Danny's throat. He couldn't get them out. He don't want to get them out._

 _"Yes, I shot your friend McGarrett."_

 _Danny's hand tightened into a fist. "He didn't do anything to harm your son. He didn't even know Dennis. Ryan, please …he need help."_

 _"It won't matter now."_

 _"Ryan, listen to me…" Danny tried, he had to try. He can't give up, not now._

 _"There something you should know, Detective."_

 _"What?" Danny held his breath._

 _"Your friend, McGarrett …he is dead."_

* * *

 _ **You're asking if it's a deathfic? What do you think? You think I will do that to Steve? Stay tuned for more. All feedback are appreciated. Thank you for your time and support.**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author note:**_

 ** _Hello, everyone. English is not my first language, so be easy on me._** _ **Thank you for taking some time to review and follow the story, I could not personally reply all those reviews, but I really appreciate them.**_

 ** _Please review if you have time again, let me know what you think. All feedback are appreciated._**

 ** _Have a nice day._**

* * *

 _A few hours earlier_

Steve pushed the door of the bookstore and entered in. At the counter was an old man with a warm smile. "Welcome, Sir." His smile dropped a little when he saw the gun and Five-0 badge strapped on Steve's hips. He can't remember having any official matter to settle with the police or any sort of law enforcement people. He doesn't any introduction to know the man just walked in was none other than The Governor's Task Force leader, Commander Steve McGarrett.

Steve smiled back and waved his hand to ease the old man's slightly worried features. "I'm not here for any official business. I'm here actually to pick up Charles Williams's package."

"Oh." The old man smiled again. "You must be Charlie's father then."

"No," Steve answered as he shook his head, putting an end to the assumption. "I'm not Charlie's father, his uncle actually."

"I'm sorry." The old man quickly apologized. "Charlie's mother, Rachael said his father will be collecting the books. That is why I thought you must be the father."

"It's okay. Yes, Danny was supposed to pick up the books, but then Danny had to stay back because Charlie hasn't been feeling well today, so I volunteered to pick the books, you know ... put a smile on sick boy's face."

"That's so nice of you, Sir. Charlie's mother had already made the payment but I would like to see the reservation receipt if you don't mind."

"Of course." Steve took his wallet, pulled out the piece of paper and passed it to the old man.

The old man quickly scanned through the paper, bent down, pulled out a paper bag from the bottom and placed in on top of the counter. "There you go, Sir."

Steve sneaked a peek into the bag and thought for a moment.

"Anything else you need, Sir?"

"Yes, I just thought, you know maybe added another one or two books. Can you help me with that?"

"Of course," He said before he turned around and called. "Katie!" Then he turned back to Steve. "I'm sorry Sir, I need to leave to the bank, but my daughter will help you."

Just seconds later, a teenage girl with bright eyes and the same warm smile appeared, "Yes, dad?"

"Katie, can you help this gentleman to pick a storybook for his nephew, I need to run to the bank."

The girl nodded, "Be safe, Dad. This way, Sir." Katie gestured politely the way before she walked forward.

Steve followed the girl, passing row after row of lined up books, and sections of books were neatly arranged in alphabetical order.

"You're Commander McGarrett, right? Five-0?"

"I am. How do you know?"

"Saw you in news last week, something about a drug bust."

"Ah ah." Steve nodded as he remembered the press conferences.

They walked pass young adult session, finally arriving children's section with low shelves.

"Here we are. Anything specific you prefer?"

Steve gave a half shrug. "Which one would you pick?"

Katie picked a book and passed to Steve. "Dad and the Dinosaur by Gennifer Choldenko. This is a gentle story of a fearful boy and his loving father with wonderful art that helps readers understand the main character's feelings. It's a great story for opening up a discussion about common fears and how sharing your secrets, fears, and feelings with someone you trust can help you feel better."

"Great," Steve said he flipped the book. "I will take this one. Thank you." He smiled.

"You're welcome. I will pack it for you." Katie took the book back from Steve and walked to the counter followed closely by Steve.

Katie passed the book to the cashier. "Emma, can you pack this one, please?" She casually turned to the side and saw a man with long overcoat standing just after the entrances. He looked a little disoriented and his eyes were wandering around, checking on the people in the store.

"Sir, can I help you?"

Katie's voice brought the man's attention to Katie and Steve's attention to the man.

The man didn't move or reply for few seconds but then suddenly he glanced at Katie which got her worried. She hoped she don't have to deal with any difficult customers when her father was no around and luckily Steve stepped to the front to her rescue.

"You're okay, Sir?" Steve asked, now standing beside Katie.

The man looked at Steve from top to bottom as he nodded slightly. "You're a cop?"

Steve frowned as he stared back at the man. "Yes. Everything okay? You need any help?" His free hand unconsciously traveled and rested on his holster.

"Yes. I need help." The man whispered before quickly, very quickly, yanked Katie towards him, held her on a chokehold before using his other free hand to pull a semi-automatic gun out his coat and aimed it to Katie's head.

In the same instant, although jerked a little by the sudden drastic movement, Steve dropped the paper bag he was holding, pulled out his gun and aimed at the man holding Katie captive.

"Sir, drop your gun and let the girl go."

"No way. Drop your gun or I will shot her."

"I can't do that," Steve said.

The man nudged the barrel against Katie's head, causing her to squeak in fear. "I'm not the desperate man here. Put your gun and kick it toward me or the girl dies … Now!"

"Okay, okay." Steve complied. He had no choice. The other two customers and the cashier were already trembling in fear. Steve dropped the gun, held both his hands up and kicked the gun towards the man.

"You," The man glared at another customer, a teenage boy. "Take one of the computer cables and tied it around the cop's hand."

The boy looked at Steve, puzzled and frightened at the same time.

"It's okay, do as he says," Steve told the boy.

"Make sure you tied properly, if it gets loose and he gets out, you're the first person I'm going to shot."

"It's okay," Steve whispered to the boy when he approached nearer with the cable. "What's your name?"

"Harry." The boy whispered back as he tied Steve's hand.

"Listen. It's going to be okay. Just stay calm, okay?"

"Are you done or what?" The man yelled.

Harry jerked by the sudden yell and quickly stepped aside after tying Steve's hand together with the computer cable.

"Good. I want two of you and you, cashier… go and sit in right corner," The man ordered. "And you, cop, sit exactly opposite to them."

The others quickly sat as they were told and stared back at the man in fear. Steve too, left with no choice, sat down near the counter.

"Now, can you let her go?" Steve asked. "She is scared."

The man freed Katie from the chokehold and shoved her to the ground. She would have landed harshly on the floor but thankfully Harry caught her and pulled her beside him. Katie's hand went to her neck as she slightly rubbed the painful area while gasping for breath.

Steve started at the people in front of him. There were four lives counting him. "Why are you doing this?" he asked.

The man ignored Steve's question, walked to the counter, pulled the phone receiver to his ear and dialed 911.

 _"911, what's your emergency?"_

"I'm calling from a bookstore, don't ask me which one, just trace the call."

 _"Sir, can you tell me what's wrong?"_

"I'm holding five people hostage, and one of them is a cop…"

Before the 911 operator could say anything in return, the man hung up the phone.

Steve was clueless. _Take people hostage and reporting it to 911?_ _What the hell?_ He wondered. The flash of hatred, anger, and seriousness on hostage taker's face increased Steve's concern. "Why are you doing this?" Steve repeated the question. "If you need anything, maybe we…" In that split second, the butt of a gun came crashing down onto the side of Steve's head. The immediate pain knocked him backwards where he fell to the floor, blood dripping from the gash on his temple.

* * *

 _ **Yikes, poor Steve! Stay tuned for more. Thank you for your time and support.**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Author note:**_

 ** _Hello, everyone. English is not my first language, so be easy on me._** _ **Thanks for taking some time to review and follow the story, I could not personally reply all those reviews, but I really appreciate your views.**_

 ** _Please review if you have time again, let me know what you think. All feedback are appreciated._**

 ** _Have a nice day._**

* * *

Charlie's eyes opened and closed, fighting the urge to sleep and Danny smiled. "It's okay, buddy, go ahead and sleep. You will feel better when you wake up."

Charlie closed his eyes and nuzzled into his favorite pillow. Danny smiled as he bent down and pressed a kiss on his son's forehead. After a few minutes, when Danny knew Charlie had fallen asleep, Danny walked out the room with his phone in his hand.

Halfway down the stairs, his phone buzzed and he answered absently. "Detective Williams."

 _"Danny."_ Tani's voice came through. _"I know you took some time to be with Charlie, but we have a hostage situation."_

Danny frowned. "It's okay, I understand. Is Steve already on the scene? Because he promised to drop by and have lunch together but he's not here yet."

 _"I was hoping you could tell me, I tried calling him, but it keeps going to voicemail."_

"Voicemail?" Danny frowned, that was unusual. "It's okay. I will try to get hold of him."

 _"Okay. Lou and Junior are already on the way to the scene with available units."_

"What we know so far about the hostage situation?"

 _"5 hostages, one of them is a cop."_

"Cop? How do we know one of the hostages is a cop?"

 _"That's where the case gets a little disturbing. The hostage-taker called 911, and informed the operator."_

"Wow… Called 911 ah?" Danny rubbed his forehead. "Of all the hostages, he highlighted the cop. Jeez, I don't feel good about this."

 _"That's what exactly Lou said."_

"Alright, I will inform Rachael and head out. Give me the address."

 _"Logos Bookstore."_

Danny's heart skipped a beat. His legs gently folded as he subsided slowly on the steps clumsy, his fingers gripping tightly the stairways' railing.

 _"Danny, you okay there?"_ Tani asked when she didn't get any reply after few seconds.

The name of place knocked every wisp of air from his lungs. He struggled to breathe, unable to speak, totally stunned as the name bounced around inside his brain.

"Tani," Danny spoke after another few seconds, "I think I know why Steve's phone kept going to voicemail."

-H50-H50-H50-

Steve was on the floor, his face closed in a grimace. For one moment, the pain was so violent around his skull that he wondered if the hit has cracked open his skull. Temporarily, he lost track of his surroundings but Katie's voice brought him back to present.

"Sir?"

Steve forced his eyes open despite the pain. He looked at her and realized she was not talking to him. She was addressing the hostage-taker which might not be a good move. He opened his mouth to stop her but instead, he coughed.

The assailant turned around and Steve was alarmed.

"C-can I…" Katie pulled out a handkerchief from her pocket. "Please, he is bleeding."

The man turned back to look at the glass door, outside the bookstore as he waved her hand with the gun, allowing her to move to Steve's side.

Katie quickly crawled to Steve's side, helped him up and leaned him against the counter before she gently pressed her handkerchief against his gash.

Steve winced and Katie quickly apologized, "I'm sorry." Nervousness was evident in the tone of her voice.

Although Steve appreciated Katie's bold move to comfort his pain, he knew he couldn't let her do something like that again. "Thank you but you shouldn't have done that, he could have hurt you," Steve whispered, keeping his voice as low as possible.

Katie stole a glance at their assailant before she leaned closer to Steve, "What do you think he's doing?"

"He just made the 911 call, he's waiting for the cops to pull up and surround the store."

"Why would he want that?"

Steve thought, roughly he can make a guess. "He is here to make a statement,"

"Hell to his statement! But what that has got to do with us?"

Steve looked into Katie's eyes. "Not you… but me."

"Why you?"

"Because I'm a cop."

-H50-H50-H50-

Danny's Camaro made a sharp turn and the tires squeal before it made a stop just before bookstore. Danny jumped out, walked pass dozen to HPD cops before he reached to Lou.

"This is crazy man," Lou said the moment he saw Danny. "McGarrett in there? You're sure about that?"

Danny nodded despite the growing sense of uneasiness in the pit of his stomach. He pointed towards the familiar truck parked in the parking lot.

"Jeez," Lou mumbled as he shook his head. "I didn't see that."

Junior come running. "I got Jerry and Tani on the phone." He placed the phone on the foldable table the HPD officer has set up.

"Talk to us, Jerry," Lou spoke.

 _"Danny's right. McGarrett is in the store."_

Danny dropped his chin to his chest as he closed his eyes for a moment. The truth kept robbing Danny's strength.

 _"Tani and I, we pulled the footage from an ATM camera across the street. It clearly showing McGarrett entering the store but not leaving."_

"We know, Jerry. His truck is in the parking lot." Danny cleared his throat before he spoke. "Jerry, can you use the camera footage to ID any other hostages or most importantly the jackass holding my partner hostage?"

 _"Here's what we have so far. The store owner and his daughter open up the store in the morning, but 15 minutes before the hostage situation, the store owner, Bryant Hernandez left the store but there is no footage showing his daughter, Katie Hernandez leaving the store."_

"So, it's safe to assume his daughter is one of the hostages."

 _"Yes,"_ Jerry agreed. _"Together with Emma White, she's working as a cashier in the store."_

"We are sure of three hostages so far, Steve…" Danny's expression dulled when he mentioned the name, "Katie and Emma. Any luck on the other two?"

 _"Tani is working on ID, but the footage showed a middle age woman and a teenage boy entering the store."_

"Mother and son, maybe?" Lou shrugged.

 _"That's what I'm guessing, and we should be getting the ID soon."_

"Jerry, what about the jackass? Please tell me you got something."

 _"We have a man in a dark overcoat walking into the store and minutes later, 911 got the call."_

"That got to be our guy, Jerry …"

 _"There isn't a right angle from the footage to run a facial recognition, but I'm working on it, I hate to say but I need some time."_

"You're telling me, he careful enough to cover his face from the camera but bold enough to call 911 and tell he got a cop hostage?" Lou shook his head.

"Jerry, I would give you all the time in the world for you but right now, the hostages… Steve, they might not have …time." It was quite hard for Danny to finish the sentence.

 _"I know, Tani and I, we are working as fast we could. I will call you the moment we find anything."_

"Thanks, Jerry." Junior ended the call. "We don't have any ID yet so, what do we do now?"

"Standard procedure. Try to establish contact, get the man talking." Lou answered.

Danny, however, turned away as he shoved his hands in pockets. His eyes were all over the storefront and Steve's truck parked in the parking lot.

A little voice inside Danny's head whispered, _"It should have been you in the store."_

* * *

 _ **Oops, looks like Danny is walking down the guilt road. Stay tuned for more. Thank you for your time and support.**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Author note:**_

 ** _Hello, everyone. English is not my first language, so be easy on me._** _ **Thanks for taking some time to review and follow the story, I could not personally reply all those reviews, but I really appreciate your views.**_

 ** _Please review if you have time again, let me know what you think. All feedback are appreciated._**

 ** _Have a nice day._**

* * *

 _"It should have been you in the store."_

Danny jumped a little when he felt a comforting arm on his shoulder. Lou leaned closer and whispered, "You know it's not your fault he is there as a hostage."

"I asked him to pick up the books, Lou."

"It's one hell of a coincidence I would say." Lou gave a half shrug, "But it's definitely not your fault. He could have said no, could have walked out of the store one minute before the hostage situation, hell there's a lot of things that could have happened but the reality is that he is in there, probably doing his best to end the situation and most importantly he's counting on us to give him all the helps he needs. Therefore, you my friend, you don't time to walk on the guilt road because your partner is counting on you. Come on, Danny… we got work to do."

Danny sighed before he nodded. "Yeah… yeah. He breathed in. "Where Duke? Have we established a connection to the store yet?"

"Duke preoccupied at the moment and connection should be ready any minute. They are already working on it." Junior answered.

Danny looked past Junior and saw Duke comforting an old man. "Who is that?"

"Ah…" Junior turned and looked at the old man before he turned back to Danny and Lou. "Bryant Hernandez."

"The store owner?" Lou raised his eyebrows.

"Yes." Junior nodded. "Apparently he stepped out to go to the bank, leaving his daughter in charge."

Danny unconsciously raised his hand and massaged the back of his neck. As a father, he could imagine Bryant's feeling. If Grace was in there, he has no idea what he will do, he will surely go crazy and the present situation was not any different, now he worried sick about his partner, a brother who has earned a place in his heart.

A few minutes later, Duke walked towards them when another HPD officer took care of Bryant. "The line has been set up."

"Danny, I can do the talking if you feel…"

"No," Danny said, looking determined. "I will do it."

"You're sure?"

Danny nodded. "Like you said, we got a job to do. Let's go. Wait a minute…" Danny said when he felt his phone buzzing again in his pocket. "Jerry, you got anything?" Danny set the phone on speaker.

 _"We got an ID on last two hostages. Jessica Millen and Harry Millen."_

"Our assumption was correct, mother and son," Lou spoke.

 _"Yes and I also have IDed our perp."_

"Already? I thought you said you need time,"

 _"Well, I have my ways. Our perp is Ryan Campbell."_

"Jerry, did you say Campbell?" Duke spoke suddenly, causing Danny, Lou, and Junior to turn to him.

 _"Yes, Ryan Campbell, father of Dennis Campbell."_

"This is not good, Jerry," Duke said, looking worried.

-H50-H50-H50-

Ryan was standing behind a bookcase, looking at the number of cops gathered up in front of the store.

Steve frowned, the pain has lessened but not his curiosity. A while ago, he heard the sirens' of patrol cars and he knew HPD officers must have surrounded the areas, snipers in position and he wouldn't be surprised if one his team member called to form a negotiation. His thoughts flew to Danny for one moment.

 _The poor guy must be thinking that it was his fault that I end up in the hostage situation._ Steve's little voice whispered.

Steve looked around and saw that somehow the other hostages have calmed down. Katie has sat beside him once she made a makeshift bandage on his gash and unconsciously she had her hands clinging to Steve's arm. She had dropped her chin on Steve's shoulder and just like others waited for what was coming. Steve knew the quicker he could end the situation, the quicker he could put everyone misery to an end. Steve stole a glance towards their assailant whose back was facing them. If only Steve knew what he wanted, what was this all about.

Seconds later, Steve's eyes catch the glimpse of their assailant walking towards him. He stopped at a certain distance. "You got a name?"

"Steve McGarrett," Steve answered, decided to play along.

"Five-0?" Ryan nodded towards Steve's badge strapped on Steve's hip.

Steve nodded.

"You," He waved his gun towards Katie. "Go back and sit on the other side."

"It's okay, Katie. Go ahead." Steve whispered to the girl before she could say anything. She crawled back and sat beside Harry without saying a word.

"Does that mean you're valuable?" Ryan shrugged, now looking back at Steve.

Steve frowned. "I don't understand,"

"I just said I have one cop as a hostage and look at how many cops have turned up to save the day," Ryan turned and glared at Steve.

"It's the standard procedure. They would do the same to anyone." Steve whispered, staring back at Ryan.

Ryan scoffed. "So, is a standard procedure to shoot innocent people too?"

-H50-H50-H50-

"What is not good?" Danny looked at Duke. "Do you know Ryan?"

Duke nodded. "Last year, HPD officer mistook Dennis Campbell, his son for a suspect and shot and killed him,"

"Oh, jeez…" Lou mumbled.

 _"The HPD officer and his partner responded to possible hostage at a clothing boutique and received information that the suspect was a white male wearing a black shirt. When HPD officers arrived at the scene, they saw a man coming out of an apartment covered in blood, and then a second man ran out. That man, was later identified as Dennis Campbell, was wearing a black shirt and appeared to be lunging at the first victim who came out. Believing Dennis was the assailant and the assault was ongoing the HPD fired at him. He died on his way to the hospital." Jerry informed._

"Did they find out what really happened that day?"

 _"Inside the boutique, HPD officers found one man, identified as Taylor Alexander, was choking a women, the owner. HPD officers were able to stop him and upon further investigation, learned that Alexander was the one who held Dennis, other men and the owner at knife-point inside the boutique."_

"If only Ryan know taking the life of an innocent person is a police officer's greatest nightmare," Lou shook his head.

"Jerry, you said the incident happened in a boutique but what is he doing holding people hostage in a bookstore. Is there any connection?"

 _"The bookstore is where the boutique was. After the incident, the owner sold the place and moved out, a few months later, Hernandez bought the place, renovated and opened the bookstore."_

"Jerry, how old was his son when he died?"

 _"He was seventeen. He went to the boutique to buy his girlfriend a dress. Tani is already on her way to speak to his ex-wife."_

"Jerry, don't tell me the anniversary..."

 _"It's today...," Jerry sighed over the phone. "Today marks one year anniversary of Dennis's death."_

-H50-H50-H50-

Steve shook his head very lightly, "I don't understand what you are talking about."

"They shot him!" Ryan raised his voice. "My son, he was innocent. It's their fault he died,"

"Whose fault…"

"You… law enforcement people, the cops…" His eyes were burning with anger. "You guys only look out for each other, you don't care about innocent people…"

"That's not …"

"Shut up!" Ryan shouted. "Don't you lie to my face…" He gripped the gun in his hand.

Steve swallowed. The sudden sense of uneasiness was telling him that something bad was about to happen. Now, Steve knew why the police were informed. The assailant wanted them there, to witness a cop being killed in right front of them, unable to do anything, to finally know he was feeling all these while.

Ryan took another step to the front and aimed the gun to Steve's direction.

* * *

 _ **... Stay tuned for more. Thank you for your time and support.**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Author note:**_

 ** _Hello, everyone. English is not my first language, so be easy on me._** _ **Thanks for taking some time to review and follow the story, I could not personally reply all those reviews, but I really appreciate your views.**_

 ** _A long chapter this time. Please review if you have time again, let me know what you think. All feedback are appreciated._**

 ** _Have a nice day._**

* * *

Tani reached the scene and ran towards the rest of the team members. "The wife, she's not at home, so I called her on the way, she said she don't want to be alone today so she flew to London to be with her sister and her family. I told her about what Ryan was doing, she said Ryan has been showing his anger to law enforcement after what happened to Dennis but she didn't expect it to get to this point."

"He's angry, any parents would be angry … but he's not channeling the anger out in the correct way."

"He's full of anger and pain and if we don't do it right, Steve's gonna pay the price," Danny spoke, "We need to make the call in now, ask the sniper to the ready just in case…"

"About that," Junior started. "Ryan has almost blinded us by covering the front glass door with bookcases, the snipers can't get a clear shot."

-H50-H50-H50-

Ryan took another step to the front and aimed to the gun to Steve's direction.

Steve held his breath, waited for the gunshot sound and screams of other hostages to invade the silent store, waited to a bullet to pierce through any part of his body, creating unthinkable pain but nothing came, instead, the phone on the counter rang.

Ryan dropped his hand to his side. He walked to the counter. With his eyes still on Steve, he picked up the receiver.

"What?" Ryan snapped. He knew it would be a cop or a so-called negotiator on the other side.

 _"This is Detective Williams with Hawaii Five 0 Task Force."_

Ryan's brow creased. The identification caught Ryan's attention. _So, they know another Five-0 member in the store._ The little mind voice whispered. _See, didn't I tell you, they only look up for each other._ That increased Ryan's anger.

"What the hell do you want?" Ryan groaned.

 _"I want to know why are doing this because if there is something that you want we can work things out. Those are innocent people in there…"_ Danny spoke carefully.

 _Innocent?_ His mind voice whispered again. _He meant his friend, Ryan. See, the guy called to talk to you into letting his friend go. Don't do that, Ryan, don't let him go. They all caused Dennis's death._

"What do you want me to do? Let them go?" Ryan asked.

 _"They didn't do anything to hurt you and you know they don't deserve any of this. Just talk to me, why are doing this?"_

"Do you think I'm stupid enough to let them go? They are the one who is keeping me alive right now because if not, I bet you would have asked your sniper to take me out."

 _"That's not true,"_ Danny said quickly, in assuring manner. _"We care, Ryan."_

 _Ah, look… so what if figure who you are? Now they are speaking as if they care. They don't care, remember? They killed Dennis in cold bold. All the guy is telling you is utter rubbish, don't fall for that._ His mind voice continued to spit venom. "Wow, not even an hour and you have already figured me out, that some detective work there," Ryan replied.

 _"Listen, Ryan, I know…"_

"You know nothing!" Ryan yelled over the phone. His voice vibrated with anger and hatred. "You all never cared. Right now all you care about is your friend. You are only thinking about how to take him back home alive, aren't you?"

Steve looked at Ryan. He was getting angrier, Steve was sure of that. With hands tied and another four hostages in front of him, Steve had no choice but to wait especially when Ryan's eyes were all over him.

 _"He is not only one I care about right now, Ryan. I care about all the people in there, including you."_ Danny's voice vibrated through the phone.

 _He's joking with you, Ryan. He cares? Seriously, you're going to believe that?_ His mind voice yelled again. Ryan scoffed. "All of your mind tricks, don't think you can play it on me."

 _"Okay, fine. Just tell me what is that you want, Ryan?"_

"I want you to tell me the truth," Ryan whispered.

"What you want to know?"

 _Ask him, Ryan. Ask him why did they killed your innocent child, your only son._ "You said your people care …law enforcement people care, then why did they shot him?"

 _"Shot who, Ryan? Dennis?"_

"Yes, Dennis." Ryan's voice was tight.

 _"Listen, Ryan. I know you're angry about what happened to your son."_

 _They only know that you're angry, they never understand your pain. They will never understand._ His mind voice spoke again. "I lost my son! He's dead all because of you people."

 _"Ryan, calm down. Tell me what is it that you want?"_

"I want someone to pay, someone to feel what I felt all these time."

 _That's it, Ryan. Show them your pain. Let them feel your pain._ At that instant, Ryan raised his gun and shot Steve. The others screamed when they heard the sound gunshot. Steve gasped when the sudden pain knocked him back against the counter. The bullet from the gun pierced through his shoulder muscles. He bit his lips, controlling the pain as he can't he move his hand to clutch the painful area.

"Steve?" Steve could hear Katie's scared voice calling for him but he couldn't concentrate. He closed his eyes and fight back the urge to whimper.

 _"Ryan, did you shoot somebody? Listen, Ryan, they did nothing wrong against Dennis. Please, if you did shoot somebody, they need medical attention."_

 _See? For them, the Five 0 guy in front of you is worth to be saved. So, your son's life was worthless?_ "I didn't shoot somebody, I shoot that one person that all of you care."

 _"Y-you mean… y-you shot…"_

"Yes, I shot your friend, McGarrett."

 _"He didn't do anything to harm your son. He didn't even know Dennis. Ryan, please …he need help."_

 _All they want is to save their friend. If only they have done something to save your son._ "It won't matter now."

 _"Ryan, listen to me…"_

"There something you should know, Detective."

 _"What?"_ Danny held his breath.

"Your friend, McGarrett …he is dead," Ryan said before he slammed the receiver down.

-H50-H50-H50-

The line clicked off, Danny looked up and stared at Lou in horror.

Tani and Junior looked at Danny in disbelief. Tani was close to shedding tear.

Lou was first to speak. "Danny, calm down."

"Calm down?" Danny whispered before he slammed the phone he was holding on the table. "He just shot Steve! He killed Steve…"

"We are not in any situation to make any judgment," Lou spoke carefully. "Steve might still be alive. Ryan, he's playing with our emotions. Just call him back."

Danny quickly took the phone back in his hand and pressed the redial button.

-H50-H50-H50-

"What did you shot him?" Katie asked Ryan as soon as he slammed down the phone. "He didn't anything to hurt…"

"Shut up!" Rayn raised his voice. "He just the same as them. They all killed my son. Now, you better stop caring for him and shut the hell up."

Ryan watched as pain radiated through Steve's body. "Feeling the pain? That's exactly what my son would have felt."

The phone rang again.

Ryan sneered before he answered after few rings. "What?"

 _"Ryan, you know shooting a cop is not the solution to your anger and pain. I want to help you, Ryan. I really do but…"_

"It will not bring back my son, I know but you will now feel my pain, how is it feels like when you're stuck, unable to do anything about it."

 _"Ryan, listen…"_

"Now, cut the call before I shot anyone else," Ryan said before he slammed the phone again.

-H50-H50-H50-

Katie quickly turned to the others when Ryan was busy talking. "Guys, we need to something."

"What can we do? He got a gun and he just shot the cop." Harry whispered as he watched Steve painful features.

"Look, I'm not going to sit back and watch an innocent cop die in front of us and then what? We don't even know if he's going let us go. Looks, it sounds crazy but if we can divert his attention and free Steve, we may a chance to walk out alive today."

Emma looked scared but after few seconds, determined. "What should we do?"

Knowing Emma was with her on the matter, she looked at Harry and his mother. They looked at each other before they nodded.

"Okay, once he's done talking, I will divert his attention, Harry, you untie Steve, Emma and you, ma'am, try to get out through the front door, get some help in here."

"Katie, how you gonna divert his attention?" Emma looked worriedly.

Katie pressed her pointing finger against her lips and silenced the others when Ryan slammed the phone again.

-H50-H50-H50-

Inhaling greedily, Steve controlled the pain. He could feel blood soaking his shirt, dripping down his arm. He opened his eyes when Ryan slammed the phone for the second time. The negotiation was not going well, it will not come to a conclusion considering Ryan's attitude and Steve have to something about it if he wanted to get himself and the others out ... alive.

Steve looked at the four other hostages and sensed some differences. He frowned. Katie had moved closer to Ryan and in fact, she was looking at him closely, ready to speak to him. Harry who was previously sitting on the floor crossed leg, now was on his heels, his body titled to Steve's side. The other two women were also on ready to move mode.

Steve looked at Katie. She blinked, her eyes gesturing to Harry. Steve shifted his focus to Harry. The boy's eyes gestured to Steve's tied hands. He held up his palm, telling Steve to wait for the move.

Steve straighten his back, suddenly his pain was out of his focus. The other four was clearly on a mission and Steve couldn't help to join in, he can somehow understand what they were about to do. It sounded crazy and dangerous but they were running of time. They don't have many options.

Katie stood up the moment Ryan turned back to them.

"What did you stand up?" Ryan asked harshly but the gun was still on his side.

Katie took a step back as she spoke. "I'm just curious," She shrugged. "What do you think your son will say if he gets know that you're doing all these? Holding people hostage, shooting people?"

Ryan took a step toward Katie as he raised his gun, aiming at her. "Stop talking about my son!"

Harry took the opportunity to make a big jump towards Steve silently, and started to untie the cable.

In the corner of her eyes, Katie could see Harry untying Steve's tied up hands. She just had to hold up another few more seconds. "He wouldn't want you to do all these, that's all I'm saying," She inhaled before saying the exact thing that would trigger Ryan's anger. "Think of the bright side, it's good that he's dead because now he won't that his father is just the same as the cop who killed him, oh no, wait... actually you're worse than the cop because you're doing all these on purpose. "

"I said shut up," Ryan shouted before he leaped towards Katie, his hand went to her throat again.

Harry pulled off the cable and Steve jumped towards Ryan. The other two women ran to the front, pushing the bookcase to the side in order to open the front door.

-H50-H50-H50-

"Lou, we can't wait anymore, what if Steve is badly hurt, slowing bleeding. Talking isn't going to work for this guy. We need to do something!" Danny said when the call ended the second time.

"I know but…" Lou stopped talking.

Another sound of a gun being fired startled them.

* * *

 _ **... Stay tuned for more. Thank you for your time and support.**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Author note:**_

 ** _Hello, everyone. English is not my first language, so be easy on me._** _ **Thanks for taking some time to review and follow the story, I could not personally reply all those reviews, but I really appreciate your views.**_

 ** _Please review if you have time again, let me know what you think. All feedback are appreciated._**

 ** _Have a nice day._**

* * *

 _Another sound of gunshot startled them._

Blood drained from Danny's face. His mouth hung with lips parted slightly and his eyes were as wide as they could stretch as he was unable to comprehend what he had just heard. "Steve!" Danny yelled almost instantly.

"Detective, there is some movement in the front. Looks like people are moving the bookcases in the front." Danny heard someone saying and his eyes went straight to the storefront and his hand went to his holster. "Lou," he called as he ran towards the store.

As he went closer, he could see two women at the front glass door, trying to open them. "Hold your fire, hold your fire, we have hostage coming out," Danny yelled. From the pictures he had seen before, he could make a guess. It was Emma White and Jessie Millen.

Before Danny, Lou, Junior, Tani, Duke and few other HPD officers reach the front door, Emma managed to unlock the door and she came running towards them, yelling, "Help! They need help in there!"

Tani caught the almost hysterical young women. "It's okay, it's okay." Tani tried to calm the women down.

Danny didn't stop. He went straight to the store, as now it was accessible with the front door spread open. Junior caught Jessie before she could enter the store again.

"My son, he's in there. I need to get him out of there."

"Ma'am, we will take care of it," Junior assured before he passed the women to another HPD officer and stepped to the store, just behind Danny and Lou with his gun drawn up.

Danny stopped at the glass door, the store was awfully silent and it creped Danny. Something has to be wrong, if not Steve would have walked out, or at least his voice would have greeted Danny's ears.

Danny nodded to the others standing behind him and they nodded back, indicating that they were ready. Danny inhaled sharply, his emotions, his deep concern for Steve was piercing his gut like a knife but now was not the time to let his emotion get the hold of him.

"Steve!" Danny yelled as he took his first step into the store before signaling the others with the 'go' sign. The rest quickly sweep the area of the store with each of them moving to the corner of the store. Danny moved in as well but his eyes caught the glimpse of a body lying off to the side. Danny knew for sure it was not Steve and his assumption was indeed correct when Junior went over, pushed the body back to the floor to check for a pulse.

It was Ryan.

"He's alive but unconscious."

Danny didn't bother to reply. Ryan was none of Danny's concern at the moment. He has no time to show mercy to the culprit who had made his life miserable for past few hours. Danny turned to the side and he saw Steve's legs. Danny's heart skipped a beat, he couldn't tell how badly his friend was hurt as Katie was blocking Danny's view. Within seconds, Danny was on his knees beside Steve who was propped against the bookcase in the corner.

"He needs help," Katie mumbled. Her hands were on Steve's right shoulder, blood was seeping through her fingers.

"It's okay." He whispered to the girl. "Lou!" Danny turned away and shouted. "We need a medic over here right now! Right now Lou!"

"It's okay, I got this." Danny's right hand automatically went over to Steve's shoulder as Tani gently took the silently crying girl away from the scene. Danny turned back to Steve and his left hand went to Steve's chest, having the urge to feel the rising and falling of his friend's chest.

Felling Danny's hand on his chest and painful shoulder, Steve blinked his eyes. "D'anny." He breathed painfully.

"Hey," Danny smiled weakly. "It's okay, buddy. We got help on the way." Danny grimed when he saw the bloodied makeshift bandage on Steve's forehead.

"s'orry…" Steve winced.

"Sorry?" Danny raised his eyebrow. "What for…?"

"I was late …for l-lunch..."

Danny wanted to reply but he didn't get to. Lou pulled him to the side so that the medics could get in and work on Steve. The EMTs quickly worked on Steve but Danny couldn't focus on any of the EMTs works or anything else that was happening in the store. His eyes were all over Steve's face, especially his eyes. Steve's eyes lost its normal glow. Covered in blood, although alive, Steve looked worse and that particularly shook Danny to the core.

Danny pushed his fearful thoughts to a side when Steve was loaded onto a gurney. He took Steve's hand and together with the EMT's, Danny wheeled Steve out of the store.

"Lou…" Danny called as he ran out, keeping up with Steve's gurney.

"Go ahead, Danny. I've got you covered." Lou replied, he knew Danny would want nothing else but to be with Steve.

Danny jumped into the back of the ambulance and held onto Steve's hand tightly. He didn't wait to check about any other hostages, people can call him selfish but after everything that had happened, the gunshot sounds that Danny had heard didn't seem to leave him alone. It kept replaying and Danny's holding onto Steve's alive hand somehow seemed to give some sense of peace.

"It's okay, Steve. You're gonna be okay."

Steve blinked. Danny's eyes showed the kind of gentle concern his father used to have and Steve were soothed by it. Danny's soft voice was calming Steve more than it usually would, as if the words were wrapping him in a blanket of his caring. Steve was getting lost in the warmth of Danny's comfort.

Steve blinked again, his vision was getting blur and he could guess how scared and panicked Danny would be if Steve suddenly loss consciousness. He could feel Danny's anxiety through Danny's tight grip over his hand. Steve wanted to ease Danny's worry. He wanted to say something to calm his friend but nothing came out. He was tired, too tired and the bright lights were reducing his interest to stay awake.

"His pulse is dropping," One of the EMT said when one of the machines started sound differently.

"Steve!"

"Detective, you need to sit back."

"You need to help him," Danny said before he tried to lean closer to Steve. "Steve, buddy. Come on now, stay with me, I'm right here." He squeezed Steve's hand.

Steve could hear voices but nothing made sense, the throbbing pain to his right side shoulder had increased and he couldn't resist the darkness surrounding him. He gave up.

Danny's heart fell when Steve's eyes closed and the hand Danny was holding went limp.

"Steve, stay with me!"

-H50-H50-H50-

Danny hated waiting room. He stared at the white framed clock on the wall probably for ninth time. Danny took his gaze away from the clock, mentally vowing not to look at it once more unless it was necessary. He could feel his tension and anxiety building up as he stared blankly at the wall, his mind vibrating with the gunshot sound and his hand couldn't shake the feeling of Steve's hand going limp.

The constant boring commercials from the common TV was driving Danny insane. He wanted to know what happened to his friend right then, not minutes or hours later. He wanted to know before he do something that he would regret.

* * *

 _ **... Stay tuned to know about Steve's condition in the next chapter. Thank you for your time and support.**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Author note:**_

 ** _Hello, everyone. English is not my first language, so be easy on me._** _ **Thanks for taking some time to review and follow the story, I could not personally reply all those reviews, but I really appreciate your views.**_

 _ **I'm so sorry for taking long time to post this chapter.**_

 ** _Please review if you have time again, let me know what you think. All feedback are appreciated._**

 ** _Have a nice day._**

* * *

Danny's level of anxiety and tension began to rise as he continued to stare blankly the white wall in front of him. Hoping to decrease his level of anxiety, Danny started to pace the length of the waiting room.

"I'm with you on this one."

Danny turned to the direction of the voice and saw Lou standing at the entrances of the waiting room. He raised his eyebrows.

Lou smiled sadly as he entered. "Waiting room, I don't really like them."

Danny shook his head. "Tell me about it."

"Any word on Steve yet?"

"No," Danny sighed. "Nothing yet which is driving me crazy, so crazy that I feel like this room is literally going to eat me alive."

"I can see that. Why don't you take some deep breaths? You need to relax a bit."

Danny scoffed. "Relax? You know how 'being careful' is not in Steve's vocabulary?"

"That's what you say all the time." Lou's brow creased.

"Because it's true, look where we are standing today."

"What are you trying to say?"

"Like that, 7 years ago, when I was forced to become his partner, the word 'relax' was taken out of my vocabulary." Danny sighed before he sat back on the couch. "So, no. No relaxing for me."

"All I'm saying, you don't have to torture yourself, you know Steve's tough. He is not going back out without a fight." Lou went and sat beside Danny. "You know that."

"Yes, I believe that, but I just… you know… I can't rest until…"

Lou tapped Danny's knee. "I understand what you're trying to say."

"Thanks for coming, I really needed some diversion." Danny turned to Lou. "What happened to all other hostages? Are they all okay?"

"Yeah. They are all alright" Lou nodded. "Except for Katie, she is in the examination room. She is getting her neck checked."

"What happened to her?" Danny looked concerned. "She looked fine just now."

"Well, Ryan nearly choked her twice. She got some bruises forming, so I brought her in just to be sure. Her father is with her."

Danny shook his head as he rubbed his temple. "Did you find out what happened?"

"I think that can wait, the doctor is here." Lou pointed to a young male doctor walking in.

"Oh, thank God." Danny bounced off the couch.

"Commander McGarrett's family?"

"The closest you can get. Detective Williams, his medical proxy. How is he?"

"My name is Dr. Connor. He lost a lot of blood since the bullet nicked the main artery. It was touch and go for a while. We were able to close up the artery and rest of the surgery went well. The bullet also tore through his clavicle shattering it in half. We were able to repair with pins and these pins will limit mobility in his shoulders until it heals. We have replaced the blood he had lost through blood transfusion. We are keeping him under observation for the next twenty-four hours just to be sure, therefore he will be in ICU."

"He is going to be okay?" Danny asked, having the need to be assured again.

"Yes, with few session of physical therapy, he should be good. We have also stitched up the cut of his forehead. Luckily the hit he took didn't cause him any serious concussion but he is going to have nasty headaches for a few days."

"I need to see him,"

Dr. Connor nodded. "I will ask a nurse to get you once he is settled in his room."

-H50-H50-H50-

A few hours later, Danny was alone with unconscious Steve. Danny took the weight off his feet on the chair beside Steve's bed. He held Steve's pale fingers, hoping for a squeeze in return, but he knew the chances for him to get one in return was slim. Danny leaned back in the chair, his gaze never left Steve's face.

"What am I going to do with you ah, Steve?" Danny sighed.

"I mean one second you were on the phone with me, telling me you're stopping by for lunch, and the next time I saw you, you're bleeding in my arms."

The machines attached to Steve continued to beep faintly in the background.

"I know it's not your fault and I know it's not my fault either because there is no way I would have let you go to the store if I have known what was going to happen," Danny spoke as he continued to let held Steve' hand. He cringed inwardly when he saw bruise formed on the side of Steve's head.

"I mean, I just… I don't know what to say, liver transplant, radiation poisoning and now, this one?" Danny breathed in. "I know I'm nagging, and I can't help it because I'm worried sick about you."

Danny leaned a little closer to Steve. "I hate when something happens to you because I don't want to lose you," Danny's voice dropped to a whisper. "You know that right?"

Danny leaned back in his chair. "You could just wake up for one second, assure me that you're alright and the go back to sleep but no, you got to sleep and let me suffer to the rest of night…"

After few moments of silent, Danny spoke again, "I know you sedated, I'm just merely talking my anxiety out."

Danny wished Steve would wake up soon so that he could be sure that Steve was indeed alright. Danny squeezed Steve's hand again, feeling his friend's fingers.

After all that had happened in the store, Steve was alive and Danny was grateful for that.

* * *

 _ **The End.**_

 _ **Thank you for your time and support.**_


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